Chapter 1 #3
I nodded once more. “Yes, we’ve seen the same things in Brierwood and amongst the Reviled.”
“That leads us to the situation regarding the Mortal population,” Sancha continued.
“Magical abilities the Magi have not observed in our one thousand years manifesting in Mortal civilians. There are some amongst the Council who are calling it the Second Awakening, though they have been quick to keep that from spreading amongst the masses, in fear of public outcries regarding the laws of Magi.”
“You’re afraid the mortals will revolt,” I concluded. “That those with this new gift of magic would demand the same rights as the Magi.”
“That is what my colleagues are afraid of, yes. But that is not why I have called you here. The politicians can squabble well enough amongst themselves without our aid.”
“Then what am I doing here?” I asked, unable to keep the edge from my voice.
“Cut to the chase, Sancha,” Cirian interjected. “Bastien has a stack of books to return to.”
Sancha pursed her lips, but continued. “A group has been gathering every night for the last few weeks down on the Mortal Row. They come to listen to the teachings of a spiritual leader who has only risen to prominence since the time of the energy release. The Church has dispatched several members of our security forces to investigate the teachings at these gatherings, but none of them have returned after being sent.”
“Maybe the Church should mind its own business then?” I interjected.
Cirian huffed a laugh, and Sancha remained stone-faced.
“What little information we’ve been able to gather outside of these meetings has been troubling.
It appears that those Mortals who have manifested magical abilities are being radicalized by the teachings, and some have already been weaponized, leading to coordinated strikes against the Council of Magi.
Just two days ago, one of them managed to break into the consulate and nearly succeeded in an attack against a council member.
There were no casualties, thank the Source, however a member of my personal guard who was attacked has fallen into a deep slumber, and our most skilled healers—even myself—have failed in being able to wake them. ”
My pulse spiked, and I reached for the notebook in my jacket pocket, flipping through the pages of notes. “Their pulse?”
“Steady and unchanging.”
“Light reactivity?”
“Their pupils are responsive, but there’s no movement, pointing towards a lack of regular sleep patterns.”
“Have you tried having an Adored issue their Command to wake them?”
Sancha nodded. “Yes, as well as countless other remedies. We are at a loss, Bastien. But it would also seem that there are similarities between what has befallen the Greenes and what has happened to my guardian. If that’s the case—”
“You want me to solve the problem for you.”
Sancha exhaled once more, rubbing the space under her eyes. “Your animosity is not unwarranted, Bastien. I know that your history with the Church is not ideal—”
“The Church destroyed my community, hunted and executed my mother, and now you come to me demanding that I help you?”
“I demand nothing,” Sancha replied, her voice devoid of the passion that permeated my own.
Even in the face of my ridicule, she remained steadfast. “I cannot personally take responsibility for the wrongs the Church has committed against you, Bastien. But I can assure you that I have no ulterior motives in coming to you. I am simply a leader, worried for her people. And I will do everything in my power to keep them safe.”
“So, what do you actually want from me, then? You have the entire wealth of the Church’s resources. Why bother coming to me?”
“Because I’m told that we are out of options.
The guardian who protected me from the mortal attack is a close friend.
I would not be able to live with myself should their situation not be able to be reversed.
Make no mistake, Bastien. I ask you not only as the acting Cardinal of the Church, but as a friend grieving for one closest to them.
I would ask that you help us solve this mystery.
And perhaps in doing so, you’ll find the answers you seek.
” She rose to her feet then, staring down at me with all the intensity that accompanied the power of her station.
Then, she leaned forward, bowing her head in a gesture of humility I would have thought impossible.
As she rose back to her full height, the weight of her gaze fell on me again.
“What is your answer, Bastien Gallant. Will you heed my plight?”
There, in that moment, I stood at a crossroads.
Every avenue I had explored, every path I’d taken in my attempts to wake Tobias had been a dead end.
But now, the smallest glimmer of hope shone—a new path leading forward.
Would it lead me to the answers I sought at the end?
Or would the weight of my own failures overwhelm me at last?
I would only find out if I kept moving forward.
“Tell me more about this gathering of Mortals.”